MINANGKABAU CULTURAL CENTER AS AN EFFORT TO CONSERVE MINANGKABAU CULTURE IN WEST SUMATRA

• Main Author: Nafisah Sulaiman, Siti
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/64986
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Culture is something that is passed down from generation to generation. Every region in Indonesia has each unique cultural features. The customs that are carried out by the Indonesian people are very unique and have their own characteristics. The cultural products of each region in Indonesia are very diverse, ranging from the value of work ethic, culinary, and language to arts such as sculpture, dance, painting, and textile arts. With the development of the times, these cultural customs are starting to be forgotten, even if they are not preserved it can result in the loss of that culture due to the degradation of cultural awareness, then the sense of care and enthusiasm for local arts and culture also decreases. That is what makes customs must be maintained and preserved by the Indonesian people. For instance, in the case of Minangkabau culture, due to the inclusion of foreign cultural factors that attract the interest of the younger generation, youths tend to not understand and even are reluctant to know about their cultural roots. West Sumatra is thick with its cultural roots because the Minangkabau custom accommodates the whole view of life for the Minang people in carrying out their customs and culture. It is quite unfortunate if the cultural roots of the Minangkabau people are not maintained, especially by the younger generation who have the desire to migrate, far from their hometown. The thing to think about is how to continue the culture of Minangkabau. Can future generations still know the origins of their cultural roots, and how to get them involved if the traditional way of passing down information is orally by a Mamak (the title for the head or leader in the Minangkabau kinship system)? Thus, this project acts as a vessel to accommodate and maintain information from the Minangkabau cultural roots, in an effort to preserve, develop and disseminate local culture. Artists in other positions must also pay attention to their condition and future, such as painters, dancers, and various other craftsmen. With the development of the times, with the increase in existing technological facilities, traditional artists must rack their brains and adapt to the developments of this era. However, the lack of education for local communities, especially in West Sumatra, is one of the main factors why local community industries are still lagging behind and become the main focus of the Government of West Sumatra in its efforts to prosper micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Therefore, it is also necessary to develop an MSME development center for craftsmen and performers of the arts. Batusangkar is the right location to establish an art center that can accommodate three aspects in an effort to preserve the roots of Minangkabau culture, namely tourism, education, and the economy of the Batusangkar community. Batusangkar is a city that is the center of the Tanah Datar district government, with attractive and promising tourism potential. Currently, the government is trying to develop Batusangkar City by making cultural preservation efforts a common thread in an effort to increase public awareness of their cultural roots. With this project, it is hoped that it will not only build a cultural center to deal with issues of tourism, education, and the economy but also as an effort to preserve Minangkabau culture through the city of Batusangkar. In its planning, this project will use the Regionalism and Ethnic Architecture approach, so that it can continue to build a cultural center that reflects the cultural values rooted in West Sumatra, but can also adapt to current developments by taking into account the location and environmental conditions where this project is going to be established, namely Batusangkar City.